Learning skateboard tricks becomes more manageable when you treat progression as a series of trackable skills rather than a race to land a specific trick. This roadmap takes you from board control and manuals through the ollie and toward the kickflip, with readiness checks, practice drills, consistency targets, and a simple progress tracker you can revisit after each session.
Overview
A good skateboard trick progression follows the order in which skills depend on one another. Before you focus on the kickflip, you need enough balance to stay centered, enough board control to manage the deck in the air, and enough landing confidence to commit with both feet. The exact timeline varies by rider, so use this guide as a sequence of checkpoints rather than a schedule.
The broad path looks like this:
- Board control: pushing, stopping, turning, riding switch, and riding over small changes in pavement.
- Balance and control: manuals, tic-tacs, kickturns, and controlled weight shifts.
- Pop and landing: stationary ollies, rolling ollies, and ollies over small objects.
- Air awareness: riding off small drops, reverts, frontside and backside 180s, and other movements that teach the board to follow your body.
- Flip initiation: the kickflip motion, first from a controlled setup and then while rolling.
Do not move on simply because you have landed a trick once. A useful checkpoint is whether you can repeat the movement with similar foot placement, body position, and landing control. If a skill breaks down when you add speed or a small obstacle, return to the previous variation and rebuild it.
Your equipment can affect how a trick feels, but it should not replace practice. If you are unsure whether your board fits your riding, review a street or park skateboard setup guide or check how wheel size and durometer affect the ride in this skateboard wheel guide.
What to track
Tracking does not require a complicated spreadsheet. After each session, record a few details that explain what happened. This helps you separate a technical problem from fatigue, unfamiliar ground, or a lack of commitment.
1. Your current trick stage
Choose one primary skill for the session, such as rolling ollies or kickflip attempts. You can warm up with easier tricks, but keeping one main focus prevents scattered practice. Write down the variation you practiced: stationary, rolling slowly, rolling at normal speed, over a line, or over a low object.
2. Attempts and makes
Count attempts and successful landings, but keep the numbers in context. A session with three clean makes from ten attempts may show more progress than a session with five rushed makes from fifty attempts. Also note whether the landing was controlled. A make that immediately turns into a step-off is different from a make where you ride away balanced.
3. Landing quality
Use a simple rating:
- Uncontrolled: the board lands, but you step off, rotate unexpectedly, or lose balance.
- Recoverable: you land with both feet but need a quick adjustment.
- Clean: your feet stay over the bolts, your shoulders remain controlled, and you ride away.
This measure is especially helpful for ollies and kickflips. It rewards repeatable technique instead of chasing a single lucky landing.
4. The main failure pattern
Write one short observation after a difficult attempt. Examples include “front foot lands too far forward,” “back foot does not lift,” “board rotates behind me,” or “I hesitate when rolling.” Specific notes are easier to act on than “bad session.”
5. Conditions and body state
Record the surface, available space, footwear, and how your body felt. A rough surface can make small wheels feel less forgiving; a crowded skatepark can limit the amount of uninterrupted practice. If your legs are tired or an ankle feels sore, reduce the intensity rather than forcing a high-risk trick. For park sessions, a skatepark evaluation guide can help you choose a space that matches your current level.
A simple progress tracker
Use this format in a notebook or phone:
Date: ____ Surface: ____ Focus: ____
Attempts/makes: ____ / ____ Clean makes: ____
Best variation: ____ Main issue: ____
Next drill: ____
Cadence and checkpoints
Practice your main trick in short blocks. Begin with a warm-up of easy riding, pushing, turning, and a few familiar tricks. Then spend one block on technique, one block on rolling attempts, and a final block on a variation that is slightly easier than your limit. Rest between blocks so fatigue does not change your technique without you noticing.
Before working seriously on the ollie
You should be able to ride comfortably, stop with control, bend your knees, and keep your shoulders aligned with the board. Practice small hops on the board and learn to land with your feet over the bolts. The early goal is not maximum height. It is coordinating the pop, front-foot slide, and level landing.
Ollie checkpoints
Move from stationary ollies to slow rolling ollies, then gradually increase speed. When rolling, look toward the landing area instead of staring at the tail. Keep your knees bent and bring both feet up rather than trying to drag the board upward with the front foot alone.
You are ready to add small objects when you can land rolling ollies with both feet over the bolts and can repeat them without turning sharply. Use a line or a thin, harmless object first. If the obstacle makes you lean back or rush the pop, remove it and practice the same motion on flat ground.
Preparing for the kickflip
A kickflip uses the ollie motion plus a controlled outward flick from the front foot. Before making it your main goal, check that you can ollie while rolling, keep the board under your shoulders, and land with reasonable consistency. Frontside and backside 180s can also improve awareness of shoulder rotation and landing commitment, while manuals help develop balance. For dedicated balance work, see this guide to manual drills.
Kickflip checkpoints
Start by practicing the flick without trying to land. Position the front foot slightly angled near the pocket, pop the tail, slide upward, and flick through the corner of the nose. Watch whether the board completes a full rotation while staying beneath you. Next, practice catching the board with the front foot, then commit to landing with both feet.
Do not judge the kickflip only by whether it flips. Track whether it flips cleanly, stays beneath your center of gravity, and finishes at a height you can reach. If the board travels away, return to smaller ollies and focus on keeping your shoulders centered over the deck.
How to interpret changes
Progress is rarely a straight line. A trick may feel worse after you increase speed, change terrain, or practice after a long break. Look for patterns across several sessions instead of reacting to one difficult day.
If your makes increase but landings stay uncontrolled
You may be rushing to count a make. Reduce the number of attempts and hold yourself to a clean ride-away standard. Practice landing with your feet over the bolts and your knees bent. A lower, slower version of the trick is usually more useful than a higher attempt you cannot control.
If the board rotates away
Check your shoulders and front-foot path. Opening the shoulders too early can pull the board around, while flicking across the deck instead of through the nose can send it sideways. Practice the motion beside the board, then try low ollies with a gentle flick.
If you land with only one foot
This often points to hesitation or a foot that is not lifting high enough. Use a low obstacle that gives you a clear target, or practice jumping and landing on the board without trying to flip it. Commit to bringing both knees toward your chest and looking at the board during the catch.
If progress stalls
Change one variable at a time. Try a smoother surface, lower speed, a shorter session, or an easier variation. Check your hardware for loose bolts, damaged grip, worn shoes, or wheels that do not suit the ground. Equipment adjustments may improve confidence, but keep the technical goal clear. A complete skateboard setup guide can help you review the basics without changing several parts at once.
When to revisit
Revisit your tracker after every session, then review the larger pattern every two to four weeks. Look for three things: whether your clean-make percentage is improving, whether the same failure pattern keeps appearing, and whether you can perform the trick in more than one setting. A trick that works only while stationary is still developing; a trick that works on different flat surfaces while rolling is becoming dependable.
Update your progression plan whenever you reach a meaningful checkpoint, such as landing several controlled rolling ollies, adding a small obstacle, or consistently completing the kickflip rotation. Also revisit it after a break, a board change, a change in wheel setup, or a recurring pain issue. Reduce the difficulty when returning and rebuild speed gradually.
For your next session, choose one primary goal and one supporting drill. For example: “land three clean rolling ollies” paired with “practice ten low pops while keeping my shoulders square.” Record the result, identify the next smallest adjustment, and finish with a few tricks you already trust. That routine keeps skateboard trick progression measurable, repeatable, and focused on lasting control rather than a single lucky make.
